All 105 is a Nittany Sports Now series profiling each Penn State football player. This edition will look at true freshman defensive tackle Kaleb Artis.
Height: 6-foot-4
Weight: 310 pounds
Hometown: Westbury, New York
Before Penn State: Not a lot of high school football players become four-time team captains, but Artis did that at St. Francis Prep.
He also played well on the field, being rated the No. 2 high school player in New York from the 2022 class by 247Sports and Rivals, the No. 3 New York prospect in ESPN’s rankings and No. 6 player on On3’s list.
A consensus three-star recruits on those sites, Artis committed to Penn State on the 4th of July in 2021, choosing James Franklin’s program over Auburn, Florida State, Notre Dame and Virginia, among other schools.
Where he stands: Barring something unforeseen, it’s not likely that Artis will see much, if any, playing time for Penn State in his first season.
With Mustipher and Hakeem Beamon looking to be ready for full seasons in 2022, Coziah Izzard and D’Von Ellies more seasoned and four-star Zane Durant also a 2022 signee, Artis has a lot of competition, and he might not be ready just yet.
But with his size and leadership capabilities, as evidenced by being a four-time captain, Artis could become an important player for Penn State before too long.
A quote about Artis: “He is so polite and well-rounded,”— James Franklin on early signing day last December.
